Oshawa woman leads the way in speaking competition

JCI Durham to compete in next round of speech contest this spring

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Sabrina Byrnes/Metroland

OSHAWA -- Erin Guillemette of Oshawa won the 2012 National Effective Speaking Competition in September, representing the Junior Chamber International Durham, formerly known as JCI Whitby. Ms. Guillemette, 24, was recognized by Whitby council at a presentation on February 11. February 13, 2013

Oshawa woman leads the way in speaking competition

Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland

OSHAWA -- Erin Guillemette of Oshawa won the 2012 National Effective Speaking Competition in September, representing the Junior Chamber International Durham, formerly known as JCI Whitby. Ms. Guillemette, 24, was recognized by Whitby council at a presentation on February 11. February 13, 2013

The determined 24-year-old is currently executive vice-president of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Durham and is quickly making a name for herself in the community. She recently won the National Effective Speaking Competition for her speech on the topic, "A leader is..." at JCI's convention in Kimberley, B.C.

"What makes a leader is a question that I think is important for everyone to ask themselves," says Ms. Guillemette, who lives in Oshawa.

"I thought it was really interesting to dive into that topic to find out what inspires leaders and makes them the way they are."

What makes a leader is a question that I think is

Junior Chamber International is a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs with nearly 200,000 members around the world. JCI Durham, formerly known as JCI Whitby, is a non-profit organization comprised of a group of people between the ages of 18 and 40 who spearhead and participate in various activities to develop their skills and improve their communities.

Every entry in the speaking competition was required to be longer than five minutes but no more than seven minutes. Ms. Guillemette's passionately delivered speech, which included references to Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln and Oprah Winfrey, came in just under the wire.

"The timekeeper came to me and said, 'That was crazy, you only had four seconds left,'" she recalls, with a laugh.

"I knew I'd be OK though because that's how close I came every time I practised it too."

In addition to winning the trophy for best prepared speech, Ms. Guillemette also won for best impromptu speech on the topic, "What do you see when you reach the top of your mountain?"

Originally from New Liskeard in Northern Ontario, she attended Western University in London before moving to Durham in June 2011. When she heard that JCI Whitby was looking for volunteers to help organize the annual Santa Claus Parade that year, she immediately signed up, hoping to meet new people.

"I went to a meeting and kind of fell in love with everyone there," she says. "I liked how committed everyone was and I was drawn to the travel opportunities available through JCI."

Next up, Ms. Guillemette will be representing JCI Canada in the speaking competition at the Conference of the Americas in St. Louis this spring.

She expressed her gratitude to all her fellow JCI members, as well as her co-workers who listened to her speech and provided constructive criticism.

"I would say that any speaker that isn't nervous is absolutely crazy so I do get nervous but what gives me the confidence to go up there is being prepared and having people to help me round out what I want to say."